Hiatt Holocaust Collection

The College of the Holy Cross maintains a substantial collection of Holocaust materials in the Dinand Library. The origins of this collection and the particular interest of the College in the Holocaust date from 1979 when two new wings of the Library were dedicated to the memory of Joshua and Leah Hiatt and all the victims of the Holocaust. The collection is listed in the Directory of Holocaust Institutions published by the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.

The College of the Holy Cross is the sponsor of what is formally known as the Frances and Jacob Hiatt Collection of Holocaust Materials. It is also the sponsor of an annual commemorative program in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The College wishes to preserve in memory the six million Jews put to death by the Nazis as it strives to educate continually about the Holocaust that such atrocities might never again occur.

The holdings, mostly in English, have as their focus the role of the Roman Catholic Church and the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in Holocaust Events. The Collection is rich in items which document the assistance given by Christians to Jewish victims of the Nazis, as well as the opposition to the Nazis shown by Christians during the Nazi years. The persecution of Christians by the Nazis is another special feature of the Holy Cross collection.